Some of you out there might remember a time when you had a phone on you, even before you had a flip phone probably, but you kept it in your pocket more often than not. After all, back then, the phone didn’t do much of anything other than make and receive phone calls. Eventually they got better and better, and now we’ve got these ridiculously powerful devices that most of us don’t want to keep in our pockets anymore.
The functionality of our phones has grown exponentially, and their fun factor is only increased by applications and games. It’s no surprise that so many people out there in the wild can be seen with their eyes glued to their phones and tablets, no matter what situation they are in.
The reasons for always having our devices easily accessible range, of course, depending on the person. For some, it’s about being connected as often as one can be. Checking social networks, sifting through feeds and streams of images. For some, it’s still being connected, but it’s more about the direct conversations, either through messaging services or standard text messages, or maybe even through those aforementioned social networks.
I don’t think any of that’s a bad thing, of course. I love using those gadgets, too.
Tonight while I was out, I actually saw a pair of people, maybe a couple, who had two tablets. And I don’t mean the tablets that you might see on a restaurant’s table these days, but ones that they obviously brought from home. They were talking to one another, laughing, having a good time, but they were certainly engrossed in whatever they were doing on those devices.
That’s technically not any different from folks looking at their phones, just with a bigger display and all. But what felt really weird, other than me watching these people play with tablets at a restaurant table, was the fact they had their phones on them, too. They were on those before they got out their tablets.
I carry more than one device on me very rarely. When I leave the house it’s typically just my phone. On weekends, and when I know I’m going to have some extra time, I might bring my laptop or tablet (usually the latter) to get some writing done. But if I’m going out to dinner? Just my phone. I’m not even sure I’ve ever even considered bringing my tablet to a restaurant.
(Though, my daughters do play on the tablets that are offered by the restaurant sometimes.)
So now I’m curious to know how many of you out there typically bring more than one device with you when you’re out and about. And if you do bring more than one, how many devices do you routinely carry, and what are they? Let me know!